Chelmsford High students face theft charges

LOWELL -- Two Chelmsford High School students are facing charges after police allege they stole several Chelmsford High School parking passes, worth $200 each, from a school administrator's office.

Joseph Fontaine, 18, of 35 Boston Road, and Augustine M. Makarutsa, of 172 Main St., were released on personal recognizance after pleading not guilty in Lowell District Court Monday to charges.

Fontaine is charged with larceny from a building, while Makarutsa faces charges of receiving stolen property over $250 and being a person under 21 in possession of alcohol.

Chelmsford police received a call from supervisor of students Eli Goumbakis at 2 p.

m. on Friday saying he had two students in the office who allegedly stole Chelmsford High School parking passes.

Students have to pay $200 for each pass.

Goumbakis told police he received information from several students who reported that Fontaine and Makarutsa stole several parking passes from his office. After receiving this information, Goumbakis told police he checked his desk drawers and three parking passes were missing.

Dan Hart, a supervisor of students, found Fontaine in school and brought him to Fontaine's vehicle. In the car, Hart told police he found one of the missing parking passes, police allege. When confronted, Fontaine allegedly admitted he stole the passes from Goumbakis' desk drawer.

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Hart and Goumbakis then found Makarutsa and escorted him to his vehicle. In his car, officials found the other two missing passes. They also found in his car an unopened can of Bud Light beer. Makarutsa denied stealing the parking passes from Goumbakis' office.

Both teens are scheduled to return to court on June 5 for pretrial conferences.

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